M Muruganandam, general secretary of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), the political party founded by Tamil actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, resigned citing “lack of democracy and honesty” in the party.
On Wednesday, while posting his resignation letter on social media, Muruganandam wrote, “I joined the Makkal Needhi Maiam to do social work for the people in an honest and independent way. However, today, I am stepping down from my responsibilities and quitting my party membership because the environment present is not conducive.”
நேர்மையான, சுதந்திரமான வழியில் மக்களுக்கான சமூகப் பணியாற்ற மக்கள் நீதி மய்யம் கட்சியில் இணைந்தேன், ஆனால் இன்று அதற்கான சூழல் அங்கு முற்றிலுமாக இல்லை என்ற நிலையில் கட்சியின் அனைத்து பொறுப்புகளிலிருந்தும் அடிப்படை உறுப்பினர் என்ற நிலையிலிருந்தும் விலகுகிறேன். (1/2) pic.twitter.com/GwmwfwnrOp
— Rtn.PDG.Er.Muruganandam M (@MMMTRICHY) May 19, 2021
He claimed that there was “no democracy” in the party for the past few days. He alleged that the MNM allying with “weak parties” during the polls had resulted in the party’s poor performance which subsequently damaged his image.
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Muruganandam is the fourth senior member to quit the party. In May, former vice president of the party, R Mahendran quit MNM claiming that the party’s poor decisions led to its downfall during the recently-held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. During the 2019 parliamentary elections, he had contested from Coimbatore and stood third with over one lakh votes. Others who quit include Santhosh Babu and Padma Priya, who stepped down due to personal reasons. They were IT secretary and state secretary (environment wing) of the party respectively.
The MNM had failed to secure a single seat in Tamil Nadu. Haasan, the party’s most renowned face, lost the battle by a slim margin of 1,540 votes to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Vanathi Srinivasan in the Coimbatore South constituency. He accepted the people’s mandate and expressed his gratitude towards “voters, the members of the House of Representatives and to the Coalition Party” through a tweet.